Elder Advantage/Designated Housing

Federal elderly/disabled public housing developments are required to have an elderly population of 80 percent and a non-elderly disabled population of 20 percent. When this threshold is not met, elderly and non-elderly disabled public housing applicants receive additional points toward their application. The more points an applicant receives, the better chance he or she has of receiving a housing offer.

This program is called the Elder Advantage or Designated Housing Plan. The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) frequently posts a list of developments for which elderly and non-elderly disabled applicants will receive additional points toward their application. Be sure to check the list since changes are regularly made. For frequently asked questions visit Priority and Preferences FAQ.

In addition, BHA provides subsidies for five project-based Section 8 properties that also give additional points to elderly applicants who are 62 years of age or older.

Elderly applicants who already have an active application but have not selected the above sites should reapply if they are interested in these five project-based Section 8 properties. Applicants may also contact the Status Line at (617) 988-3400 if they are unsure of their current application status.